DDW’s Megan Thomas rounds up highlights from Tuesday 17 April at AACR 2023, from AI and mathematical oncology to winners of the AACR James S Ewing-Thelma B Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research.
Clinical announcements
Promising results for olaparib plus ceralasertib
Today, results from the Phase I portion of the Phase I/II AcSé-ESMART trial showed that a combination of the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) and the investigational ATR inhibitor ceralasertib showed clinical benefit in pediatric patients with solid tumours exhibiting DNA replication stress and/or DNA repair deficiencies.
Read more here.
Findings promote deep learning model
According to findings presented today, an investigational deep learning model requiring one histopathologic slide accurately predicted the risk of distant recurrence in patients with endometrial cancer.
Read more here.
Among individuals who consented to whole-exome sequencing and were identified as carriers of predisposition genes for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) or Lynch syndrome, 39.2% would not have qualified for genetic screening under current guidelines, according to results from the Tapestry clinical trial presented at AACR 2023 today.
Read more here.
Clinical applications of artificial intelligence and mathematical oncology
This special minisymposia, co-chaired by Kristin Swanson and Heiko Enderling, featured the following presentations:
- Cancer cells subvert fibroblast function to promote a growth factor enriched tumour microenvironment in endocrine therapy resistant ER+ breast cancer – Jason Griffiths, City of Hope National Medical Center
- Adaptive treatment scheduling of PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer: Using mathematical modelling to assess clinical feasibility and estimate potential benefits – Maximilian Strobl, Moffit Cancer Center
- Deep learning risk prediction model of distant recurrence from H&E endometrial cancer slides – Sarah Fremond, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)
- A prognostic machine learning model for early breast cancer which combines clinical and genetic data in patients treated with neo/adjuvant chemotherapy – Aidan (Amanzhol) Kubeyev, Concr
- Predicting response to PD-L1 inhibition in NSCLC using a quantitative systems pharmacology model guided by immunogenomic data – Hanwen Wang, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- A multi-center study validated an integrated deep learning model for precision malignancy risk assessment and reducing unnecessary biopsies in BI-RADS 4 cases – Chika Ezeana, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center
- Development and validation of a quantitative systems pharmacology model for prediction of preclinical efficacy of PARP inhibitors rucaparib and talazoparib combined with the ATR inhibitor gartisertib (M4344) – Nathalie Dupuy, Physiomics
Awards
AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research
Across Tuesday 18 April, AACR announced several award winners for various achievements in cancer research, a highlight of which was the AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research. This award recognises an individual on the basis of their meritorious achievements and contributions to any aspect of blood cancer research.
Riccardo Dalla-Favera, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is Director of the Institute for Cancer Genetics; the Percy and Joanne Uris Professor of Clinical Medicine; Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Genetics and Development; and member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University. He is being recognised for his fundamental discoveries dedicated to characterising the genetic drivers of human B-cell lymphomas and for uncovering new avenues for cancer prevention and therapy that have been routinely exploited clinically to diagnose and determine novel therapeutic strategies for B-cell lymphoma.
AACR James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research
Another award highlight was the AACR James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research. This award, named for the AACR’s first President, James S Ewing, and the AACR’s first female President, Thelma B Dunn, both of whom were pathologists, serves to recognise and celebrate pathologists who have significantly contributed to advancing cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Arul M Chinnaiyan, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, American Cancer Society Research Professor, and S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology and Urology at the University of Michigan. He also serves as the inaugural director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology. He is being recognised for illuminating research contributions to defining the links between chromosomal abnormalities and cancer, including his discovery of TMPRSS2-ETS gene fusions in prostate cancer, and for pioneering the use of pathological and bioinformatic methodologies to diagnose and track prostate cancer onset and progression.
Read more about AACR award winners here.
